What is ILLiad?

ILLiad is the electronic system you use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan.
The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for InterLibrary Loan internet accessible database.

How is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?

You will find it easier to submit your interlibrary loan requests. With ILLiad, you enter your name, address, and other personal information into the system only once, at the time of your first request.

Your request will be handled more rapidly and accurately as problems relating to misinterpretation of hand-written requests are eliminated.

You can get many of your photocopies more quickly through Electronic Delivery.

You can get information about the status of your request through the Web at any time from any location without having to call the ILL Department.

Library personnel are able to serve you better because all data about your request and its handling is stored in a searchable database. We are able to respond quickly to your
inquiries about your request. We are also able to gather statistical information about the
performance of the libraries that lend to us, enabling us to make better decisions when
choosing a lender to supply an item.

Are there any disadvantages to the electronic system?

Some people might find it troublesome to have to log into ILLiad using a username and
password. We believe this is less trouble than traditional paper and electronic systems
which require you to enter your personal information with each new request.

Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?

Your username and password allows us to give you secure access to information about
your interlibrary loan requests. We can also enable you to edit your personal information
such as your address or phone number.

Your username can be anything you like, such as your name, abbreviations, or an
alphanumeric code. Your password also can be anything you like. We recommend that you
follow good security practice and choose a password that is different from those you use
to access other systems. However, no one but you will know your password, not even the
library staff. The password you set is stored in an encrypted file.

What if I forget my password?

In the event that you forget your password, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office. We can then reset your password allowing you access to ILLiad. Please
change your password once you logon to ILLiad.

What Web browser should I use?

You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferrably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We recommend the current versions of either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?

Yes. Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation.
This allows a subsequent user of the workstation to access the system under your name
using the browser's Back button to recall a page from the cache, or by finding a page with
your personal information in the browser's history file. If you are concerned about the
security of your interlibrary loan requests, you can take the following steps:

Access ILLiad only from your personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation.

When using a public access workstation:

Delete from the history file of those pages that contain your personal information.

Exit from the Web browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from accessing the pages you were using.

Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?

From time to time we purge older records from ILLiad. Our policy is to keep
requests online for several years order to comply with record keeping requirements
of the copyright law.

What is electronic delivery?

Many libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. In the past we
printed these articles before delivering them to you. Now, through ILLiad, we are able to
electronically deliver these articles in PDF format (Adobe's
Portable Document Format). You can read more about electronic delivery on the Electronic Delivery
Information page.